Drug testing was in the news on Friday – though this time it wasn’t the usual sports doping headlines, but instead news of the clinical trial of a drug gone tragically wrong in France. Of the 90 people given the drug in a phase 1 clinical trial, one has been left with permanent brain damage, and another five are still hospitalised. What is a phase 1 clinical trial? That’s what this graphic aims to explain, as well as outlining the whole drug discovery process.
If you’ve ever had to undergo a surgical procedure, be it at the dentists or in a hospital, you’re likely to have encountered some of the molecules featured in today’s graphic. We’re already looked at inhalational anaesthetics in a previous graphic; today, we take a look at chemicals that can be injected in order to produce anaesthesia.
I’ve been suffering the effects of a sore throat these past few days (the curse of the end of term cold), which inevitably got me thinking about the chemical compounds in the throat lozenges I’ve been binging on. Whilst there are a range of possible active ingredients, many throat lozenges use one (or two) of three particular compounds. This graphic takes a look at them, and how they help provide relief!
You might have noted that yesterday was ‘Blue Monday’ – lauded as the most depressing day of the year. You might also be aware that Blue Monday was actually the construct of a Sky Travel marketing campaign several years ago, and is complete pseudoscience. Still, it seemed like as good an excuse as any to throw together this graphic, which looks at some of the different classes of antidepressants, and to discuss a little of how they work.
If you’ve read any science news over the past day or so, you’ll have noticed it’s been dominated by stories about the discovery of a new antibiotic, teixobactin. There’s a reason that the scientific community is so excited by its discovery, but in truth, it’s the method which was used to discover it as much as the compound itself that’s drawn attention. Today’s graphic gives you a run-down of the key points.
It’s that time of year where a fair few of us (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least) are probably suffering from a cold of some description. The common symptom, that of a blocked nose, is probably one of the most irritating, but thankfully, nasal decongestants exist to provide relief. But how do they work?
